A method, system and device for active balance control of a battery pack are disclosed. The method includes: calculating a reference balance current ratio of a battery cell to a battery pack in each batch; calculating an actual balance current ratio of the battery cell to the battery pack at each moment in any batch; allowing the actual balance current ratio to track the reference balance current ratio of the corresponding batch in real time by executing a preset tracking algorithm; and performing balance control on the battery pack according to a tracking result. The system includes a first calculation module, a second calculation module, a tracking module, and a balance control module. The device includes a memory and a processor.

A battery protection circuit protects a rechargeable battery from overdischarge, by turning off a transistor inserted in series in a current path between a negative electrode of the battery and a negative terminal coupled to ground of a load or a charger. A detection circuit detects a power source voltage between power source and ground terminals, and a control circuit pulls down a monitor terminal potential to a ground terminal potential by turning off the transistor and stopping battery discharge when the power source voltage lower than an overdischarge detection voltage is detected. The control circuit cancels pull-down of the monitor terminal potential to the ground terminal potential when the power source voltage higher than an overdischarge reset voltage is not detected until a predetermined time elapses in a state in which the battery discharge is stopped and the monitor terminal potential is pulled down to the ground terminal potential.

A device for interfacing between a battery management system and groups of battery cells including at least one set of local units and at least one global unit that is connected to the local units of the at least one set. Each local unit is configured to compare a parameter related to a group of cells and associated with a first setpoint value, the first setpoint value originating from the at least one global unit, and to generate an output signal representative of the result of the comparison, and the at least one global unit is configured to receive the first setpoint value and includes an electronic module having an operating parameter having a global value that is dependent on the output signals generated by the local units of the at least one set.

The invention relates to a circuit for an electrical energy storage system (100) with two energy storage units (R1, R2) respectively comprising a first and a second pole connection (P1, P4, P3, P2), said circuit comprising: at least one first and one second input (E1, E2), at least one first and one second output (A1, A2), a first switching element (S1) between the first pole connection (P1) of the first energy storage unit (R1) and the first output (A1), and a second switching element (S2) between the second pole connection (P2) of the second energy storage unit (R2) and the second output (A2), a third switching element (S3) being arranged between the second pole connection (P3) of the first energy storage unit (R1) and the first pole connection (P4) of the second energy storage unit (R2), a fourth switching element (S4) being arranged between the second pole connection (P3) of the first energy storage unit (R1) and the second pole connection (P2) of the second energy storage unit (R2), and a fifth switching element (S5) being arranged between the first pole connection (P1) of the first energy storage unit (R1) and the first pole connection (P4) of the second energy storage unit (R2), the energy storage units (R1, R2) being connected in parallel or in series according to the switch position of the third, fourth and fifth switching elements (S3, S4, S5).

An energy storage apparatus includes a plurality of energy storage devices connected in series, a voltage detection circuit that detects voltages of the plurality of energy storage devices, and a discharge circuit that discharges the energy storage devices individually, and a BMU having a control unit, in which the control unit discharges only an energy storage device having a highest voltage among the plurality of energy storage devices. Further, charging is stopped when a first duration elapses in a state that a cell voltage of the energy storage device having the highest voltage exceeds a first voltage threshold, or charging is stopped when a second duration elapses in a state that the cell voltage of the energy storage device having the highest voltage exceeds a second voltage threshold.

A battery management system having and configurable batteries are disclosed. The battery management system generally includes (a) one or more cell control units, each configured to control and/or balance a charge in a plurality of battery cells, and (b) a master controller in electrical communication with cell control unit(s). The cell control unit(s) as a whole include one or more switches, configured to be electrically connected to a first one of a plurality of battery cells, and a resistor, capacitor or inductor electrically (i) connected to one switch and (ii) connected or connectable to a second battery cell. The master controller is configured to open or close each switch. The configurable battery generally includes a plurality of battery cells and switches configured to connect or disconnect the battery cells in a configurable or predetermined manner.

A high voltage battery pack comprises series-connected battery units, each separately powering a respective DC/DC converter. The converter outputs are coupled in parallel to supply a low-voltage DC bus. A central module has 1) an outer loop controller generating a target current to regulate the bus voltage and 2) an allocator distributing the target current via allocated current commands for respective converters. Local controllers each regulate an output current of a respective converter. The allocator identifies battery units having a predetermined deviation from a reference metric that characterizes the battery pack, allocates reverse currents to respective converters for the identified battery units, and increases the target current commanded for the DC/DC converters not allocated to have a reverse current by the allocated reverse currents. Battery units with extremely low or high states as compared with the other units are quickly balanced, thereby improving overall performance of the battery pack.

The teachings of the present disclosure may be employed for buffering electric power in a virtual storage power plant. For example, a virtual power plant for buffering electric power may include: distributed electrical energy storage systems electrically interconnected by transmission lines of an electrical power plant network; a measuring device detecting a state of charge of each of the storage systems; and a control device adjusting the states of charge between a lower limit and an upper limit. The states of charge are adjusted as needed by means of a charge equalization including transmitting electrical equalization charges from energy storage systems having a relatively high state of charge to energy storage systems having a relatively low state of charge, via the electrical power plant network.

An improved multi-device tabletop charging station is described herein. The multi-device tabletop charging station can comprise a housing, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub, a plurality of retractable cable reels, and a plurality of chargers. The housing can comprise a top inner surface and a bottom inner surface. The top inner surface can enclose the bottom inner surface. The bottom inner surface can comprise a plurality of recessed sections, and a plurality of openings. The (USB) hub can be mounted within the top inner surface. The USB hub can comprise a plurality of powered ports. The plurality of retractable cable reels can each be mounted within each of the plurality of recessed section. The plurality of chargers can each be reeled onto each of the plurality of retractable cable reels. Each of the plurality of chargers can comprise a first end and a second end.

A system for alerting a patient includes a ventricular assist device (VAD), a battery, and an alarm system. All of these components of the system are configured to be implanted within the patient. The implanted alarm system is configured to provide an alert to and from within the patient based on a condition. The alert can be a vibration or an electrical shock, and the condition can be the implanted battery being below a threshold, a failure of the implanted battery, an error of the implanted battery, or an error of the implanted VAD.